Bonnet-Huteau: Vineyards
The Bonnet-Huteau domaine is located, as suggested in my introduction, about 20 kilometres east of Nantes, in the commune of La Chapelle-Heulin, well within the boundaries of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. The Butte de la Roche, the spear of serpentinite rock which presides over the Marais de Goulaine, lies just a couple of kilometres to the north, while scattered to the south are all the famous names of the appellation; Clisson, Gorges, Monnières, Château-Thébaud, Le Pallet and the like.
There are about 40 hectares planted to vines here, centred around Château La Tarcière, in the lieu-dit of La Levraudière. The presence of a château here might sound rather grandiose although the domaine is in truth based within a collection of low-slung agricultural buildings and petites maisons, with no grand château in sight. Nevertheless, this does at least explain why for many years the entry-level domaine cuvée took the name La Tarcière. The domaine is blessed with several interesting terroirs, featuring micaschist, amphibolite, granite and more, but I will deal with each terroir and the significance it might hold for each cuvée in my account of the wines below.
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